Solon 'impressed, almost embarrassed' by private sector efforts against COVID-19

A lawmaker admitted Thursday she was 'impressed and almost embarrassed' by the response of the private sector to efforts against the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a virtual briefing, Ang Asosasyon Sang Mangunguma Nga Bisaya-OWA (AAMBIS-OWA) party-list Representative Sharon Garin welcomed the private sector initiatives reported by Ayala Corp. chief executive officer Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala.

"It's impressive and almost embarrassing for me as a government official because the private sector was quite fast in reacting, and the magnitude of the generosity was quite impressive," she said.

Her remarks came after Zobel de Ayala reported several initiatives the company, along with its partners from the private sector, undertook amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"There's nothing to be embarrassed about, I'll tell you with all due frankness," Zobel de Ayala responded, as he noted complexities in the government process.

"In the private sector, we control our variables much more. It's very difficult for the executive side of the government," he added.

The House of Representatives has pushed for a P1.3-trillion fiscal stimulus package to address the impacts of the pandemic, but economic managers warned that such an amount is unfundable.

Latest data available from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) indicates that the Philippines has so far released a total of P374.89 billion for the war chest against the coronavirus.

"In the private sector, we have that freedom of movement so in a partnership, it's just like in anything else when you deal with family members and friends within the continuum of a medium-term plan, if someone can fill in the short-term plan for a while, then that's part and parcel of a partnership, and then you expect the other party to come in for the longer term," said Zobel de Ayala.

"I don't think we should see this in any negative light. I think everybody fulfills a role at the key moment and that's what partnerships are about. If we all move out and say this silo's mine or that silo is there, then you don't build that commonality where you build on each other's strength," he added.

According to Zobel de Ayala, the private sector can step up in the short term, but the government will have to fill in the gaps in the long term.

"In the private sector, we don't have that long-term capability in our balance sheets. The way we are structured, we're not made for a long-term commitment. The government is," he said.

"If the government has to realign its budget, get its permission, and sort out its objectives, and it takes a little longer, then they come in for the heavy lifting," he added.

The Ayala Group allocated P2.4 billion for its emergency response package for its workforce hit by the disease, aside from waiving mall rental fees for tenants during the strict quarantine measures placed across the Philippines.

The company also took part in Project Ugnayan, a collaboration of business groups in cooperation with the Philippine Disaster Resilience Foundation (PRDF) to raise funds to assist households affected by the lockdowns.

The group was also part of Project ARK which provided testing kits to various local government units, and on its own built testing and quarantine facilities catering to individuals infected by the coronavirus.—AOL, GMA News